“No limit buy-in, winner takes all”. [1] X Research source In this version, each player buys into the game with a set amount—perhaps $5 for a friendly game, hundreds or more for serious wagering. There is no limit on how many of their chips a player can bet at once—you can go “all in”—but when a player runs out he or she is out of the game unless allowed to buy back in for another share of chips just as new players can buy-in during the first 2 or 3 days of the tournament with hundreds playing, coming and going. In these tournaments players are usually eliminated one by one by leaving it all on the table until the last remaining player wins the whole pot. But, in some large tournaments, the last 10, 20,30,. . . or 100 to go out get an increasing take-home, up to the ultimate winner’s set pay amount (not the amount of the table pot). “Limit, No Buy-in”. In these games betting at each stage of the hand is not allowed to go all in, and also players can usually buy more chips at any time. This means that instead of playing the original chips until eliminated, players can wager until they are no longer willing to put up more money. Often, a player can “cash out” of the game to take their winnings or cut the losses at any time.

When betting circles the table and returns to the small and big blind players, these players subtract the money they’ve already put in from the current call. Thus if no player had bet more than the minimum, the big blind has the “option” to either raise or stay in the game at no additional cost by checking. The small blind owes 1/2 of the minimum plus the amount needed to buy up to the call. If the minimum were $100, then the small blinds needs to pay in $50 to pay-in the minimum to the pot.

Before dealing out the flop, or any subsequent cards, the dealer should discard, or “burn,” the top card of the deck face down to lessen the ease of the dealer slipping a card on top for cheating purposes.

If no one has yet bet, players may “check” to pass without betting for now. If no one bets the game moves on, but if a bet is made as action goes around the table, then those that checked must bet/call the new stakes to stay in the hand.

A pair of 9’s beats a pair of 4’s. Two pair, Jack’s and 2’s, beats two pair, 7’s and 5’s. A straight that runs as high as Queen beats a straight that only runs up to 10. An Ace-high-flush beats a King-high-flush. If hands have combinations of the same value, the hand with the highest extra card wins. For example a pair of 8’s with an Ace-high remainder (“kicker”) beats a pair of 8’s with a 10-high. If both had the Ace kicker then you proceed to the next highest card in each hand. Kickers are very important in hold’em. If your opponent opened the pot with AK and you call with KQ, then a king comes on the flop, the pair of kings will likely make you bet higher, but now he has the Ace kicker. . .

In a tournament, if “you’re down to only 5 more big blinds/antes” then you’ll be out after 5 rounds around the table if you don’t make a stand, so you will want to go all-in pre-flop with a reasonably good hand, hoping to double up or get everyone to fold. If you have only 5 times the blinds and antes, just picking up the blinds and antes means a 20 percent increase for you, which is huge. So, for example, if you have any pair, any ace, any king, or any two face cards, strongly consider going all-in pre-flop – if no one has yet entered the pot. You are “short-stacked” compared to other players and to the blinds/antes. If making any reasonably sized bet will put half or more of your stack into the pot, you are pot-committed and may as well go all-in to look stronger and apply maximum pressure. Even if you have the nuts (the best possible flop with your hold cards), don’t try to slow-bet and raise just the minimum if you are already pot-committed. Any opponent with the slightest bit of observation will become suspicious why you did not simply go all-in, if you are strong. In any case, your opponents are likely to interpret an all-in from a short stack as a desperate move and call if any of them have a reasonably good hand. If you have enough more chips than an opponent who has a wager on the table, you may “put him or her all in” by betting equal to their total chips (you can say “all-in”). If no other player calls and the shorter stack doesn’t fold, both reveal their cards in the showdown – then any remaining community cards are dealt out one by one without any more wagering on each (because the all-in player has no more chips to bet with). If the other person wins you double that player up, but you have a chance to send that player home.

If you have a reasonably good hand, say AQ, and a short-stack in front of you has pushed all-in, probably as a semi-/pure-bluff, you could also raise all-in yourself as an isolation play, as few players will call a raise and a re-raise in front of them without a very good hand like QQ or better. Your move will help you isolate the short-stack who likely would make the all-in with a weaker hand than you have. If one player is already all-in and there is no money in the side pot yet, be inclined to just check unless your hand improves, because without any side pot money to play for, it doesn’t make sense to try to bluff out others and increase the odds of winning for the all-in player. Checking the hand down maximizes the probability of eliminating the short-stack who is already all-in. This is known as cooperation play.

Remark without delaying play when one loses to you on a showdown, “how could you bet on Jack, ten?” and stuff like, “Why would you waste your time and money on Queen-high, awe, oh man. . . " Don’t expect answers, but don’t interfere with actual play. Ask about any sort of legitimate issue. Ask about every aspect of their game only as you face each person, on each and every round, as you are apparently deciding how much to bet or whether to fold. Especially against shorter stacks, never-ending but seemingly sensible questions while you decide. “You want me to bet? Or, do you want me to fold?” so then “If you want we to bet, I might have to fold. Honestly, what do you want – me to do, fold? Yeah, fold? Fold right. . . " Then your opponent folds with a much better hand, than you. . . and you only show your low card. Steam will come out of the folder’s ears. You put your opponent on tilt. Take “forever” to fold, being careful, then say, “I think you got the nuts, right? So, you have queen or better, okay, I fold. " If that feels right, and you are not already all-in. . . “Every time you play your hand the way you would, if you could see your opponents’ cards, you gain, and every time your opponents play their cards differently from the way they would play them, if they could see your cards, you gain. " , per David Sklansky author, considered an expert on gambling. Which is like “Play to ‘what the opponent most likely holds from their time/position/size of bet and based on past pattern of play,’ and get the other to play to ‘whatever you suggest that you have and know what they have by your chatter and leading questions while you were deciding how to bet. ’ " – then the opponent quite often folds the better hand because you’ve put so many confusing/spinning thoughts in his/her mind (tilt!).

Tone it down to be less hated. Don’t talk while they are deciding what to bet or to fold. Be, “Mr. Nice Guy” in words. Say, “Nice hand!” even if you win it. Say, “good player, nice round”, but not letting up on the quiz.